ANSWERS
COVER: IIoT FOR AUTOMATION John Clemons, MESA International
How to build a Smart Manufacturing model The right Smart Manufacturing model can make manufacturers more efficient, make better overall decisions and provide a blueprint for what works.
M
any in manufacturing says we’re in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, and Smart Manufacturing is transforming manufacturing back into an economic powerhouse. What most people see is wave after wave of new technology with no real idea how any of it is supposed to fit together. MESA has started developing a new Smart Manufacturing model, with the purpose of providing a simple and easy-to-use framework for making sense out of everything that’s part of Smart Manufacturing. Dennis Brandl, a member of the MESA team building this model, said, “Most people don’t understand how it all fits together. It’s really just a vast state of turbulence with just about every country having its own model for Smart Manufacturing. MESA is cutting through all this fluff to provide a comprehensive Smart Manufacturing model that people can actually use to understand what Smart Manufacturing is all about.”
‘
MESA’s model for Smart Manufacturing will help everyone speak the same language and understand Smart Manufacturing. Manufacturing lifecycle
’
The new MESA Smart Manufacturing Model will provide a way to look at a company’s manufacturing operations and get a view of the lifecycle of manufacturing. The lifecycles concept is key to the new model. Whether it’s a product lifecycle, an asset lifecycle, or a lifecycle for the manufacturing personnel, this idea of lifecycles is a key to understanding the complete picture of the manufacturing operations and how Smart Manufacturing fits into the picture. Brandl explains more of the purpose of the Smart Manufacturing model. “It’s fundamentally going to be a way of looking at the problem space to make sure you don’t miss anything. It’s intended to
28
•
April 2021
control engineering
cover everything you need to be concerned with in this space. It will help people decide what to do by helping them ask the hard questions and determine if they really have the answers they need.” The new MESA Smart Manufacturing model can be thought of as a checklist at the highest level to ensure no one misses any of the key concepts of Smart Manufacturing. Manufacturing companies can use the new model to make sure they’re dealing with all the issues, especially the ones they haven’t thought of yet. And solution providers can use the new model to make sure they’re providing customers with everything they need.
Reasons for developing a Smart Manufacturing model
Some might ask: “Why? Why is MESA doing this? Aren’t there enough models out there already?” Yes, there are. Many models cover many aspects of Smart Manufacturing. Each approaches Smart Manufacturing from a specific point of view. Not all those points of view are bad. Those unfamiliar with Smart Manufacturing may not realize that what they see is based on a particular point of view. Jan-Christoph Galm, a member of MESA’s EMEA Board of Directors, said, “The idea of the new MESA model for Smart Manufacturing is first and foremost to be transparent. It’s to be totally unbiased with no built-in preconceived notions or points of view on what Smart Manufacturing is. It’s to provide an unbiased view of the vision of the Smart Factory.”
Smart manufacturing terms, a usable model
MESA’s model for Smart Manufacturing will provide a framework to help everyone speak the same language and to get a baseline or foundation on what Smart Manufacturing is. It’s a common model and a common language. The people that use it then agree on what’s what with regards to Smart Manufacturing. www.controleng.com
